Rotary engine



s sheets-sheet INVENTOR D. M. ROTHENBERGER ROTARY ENGINE Original Filed May 9, 1921 Dec. 3,1929.

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Dec. 3, 1929. D. M. ROTHENBERGER i,738,320

`ROTARY ENGINE Original Filed May 9, 1921 5 Sheets-Sneek 2 40 .M .30 f @a C); Z\ C) 60 6/ @5 yi W1 W mv 3 M lNvENToR 7 ZW@ Dec. 3, 1929. D. M. RoTHl-:NBERGER ROTARY ENGINE original Filed May 9, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet I 3- INVENTOR Patented ller, 3, will@ maar@ eren ROTARY ENGINE Application filed May tl, 1921, Serial No. 467,796. Renewed July 21, 1928.

ll/ly invention relates particularly to rotary engines comprising a plu "ality ot motor units arranged` upon a single shalt and provided with peripheral charging mechanism;

and my main objects are to provide in a simple and compact construction tor the most ei"- 'ective utilization olf the motive energy developed, :tor easy starting; and reversibility as desired, and for the satisfactory pemlrinl and cooling ot' the Wearing surfaces as required :tor economy ot operation and main tenance. 'lhe invention is fully described in connection with the accompanying dra\vl5 ings and the novel leatures are clearly delined in the claims..

ll`ig. l is a plan view et a preterred embodiment ol my invention, showing sin cooperating motor units; the abutinent-reversing 2o levers being omitted.

Fig. 2 is an end vievv, with a practical cross section on the line 2-2 ot' l.

lligs. 3 and fl are similar vieivs` to Figs. l and 2 et modified construction embodying certain features of the invention. v

rlhe main shaft l() ot the en gine illustrated, is mounted in the heads ll, ll ot an enclosing cylinder l2, which latter is provided vvith a base portion. i3; said `shai'lt l0 having' secured thereto as shown a plurality el rotors Which may be termed separately or in an integral group as desired, and said cylinder forming an enclosure ,tor the group oit rotors and being adapted to cooperate thereivith to pr vide a series oiL coasting;` motor units as hereinafter described..

Each ot these motor units thus comprises a rotor section having preterably a plurality ci piston projections 1G', lo loi-ming` the end closures of intervening;I circularly extending' charge and explosion chambers 17, ll'; the Walls oi the circular grooves which form these chambers serving` to tightly seat the movable enacting abutment of the enclosing cylinder l2.

'lhe peripheral charging means provided tor each motor unit comprises a compression chamber extending; radially outward from the enclosing cylinder and having` therein a plunger 3l; a supply port to said compres` sion chamber, for the operating medium, controlled by a rotary tubular valve 33 adapted to open and close said port; and a delivery port 3ft 'from said compression chamber, com munieating` With a rotary tubular Chargevalve 35 which controls the delivery ot the charge to the annular explosion chambers 17, its shoivnin Fig. 2 this delivery port 34 is arranged to communicate with one or other of tvvo branches 35"L and 35' leading1 into the annular explosion chambers, by providing said tubular charge valve 35 With a concentric sleeve-valve 35 peripherally apertured at 35d and 35e so as to permit delivery trom the inner peripherally apertured charge` valve through either et said branches 35 or 35h, as determined by proper relative niovements of the charge valve 35 and its enclosing;r sleeve valve 35C; the purpose of this preferred arrangement being to permit ot reversing` the rotation ot the engine When desired.

The supply valve 33, and the charge valve 85, and the sleeve valve 35C for the latter as above described, each consists et a tube el@ tending` the iull length et the engine and provided with peripheral apertures at dii'-V ierent points in its length for the respective motor units; 'the location ot such apertures being; stepped circuinierentially to correspond With the stepped arrangement olf the rotor section 15 on the shaft 10, so as to provide `lor delivering compressed charges to the suecessive motor units in close succession as determined. This stepped arrangement in sures continuous series et rotating impulses, serving to positively drive tlieshaft without tlyivheel control and with one or another charge ready at all times to be ignited tor easy starting et the engine; and the operation ot the several compression plungers 3l, suplply valves 33., charge valves 35, and sleeve valves C in alined arrangement, beingl et'- l'ected jointly in proper relation. ln Figs. l and 2 these compression and valve devices are shown as duplicated in diagonally opposite positions, and in accord With the shown provision ot four piston projections ltl on eaelr motor Wheel section l5; and in the low-er half et said ligure gearing employed Cil lil@

o f 1 Y directly' operated by cams 45 on the shaft 40,

to cooperatively drive the same is indicated. The operating shafts 40, for the compression plungers 81 are jointly rotated, and each drives its coacting supply-valve tube 33 and .charge-valve tube 35 in proper unison through gear Wheels 41, 42, 43, 44 ;l separate provision not indicated, being made for setting the sleeve valve 35c as is required only for reversing the rotation of the engine. As shown in Fig. 2 the Compression plungers 31 are -plosion chambers 17, by a spring 24 arranged to press the same inward. IVithin a passageway 25 1n each plunger, opening therethrough Vtoi one side of its abutment portion 20, is located Na spark plug operative as usual toN explode a determined charge, the plunger, and the guide way therefor, extending circumferentially of the annular chambers 17 aconsiderably greater distance than the depth ofthe latter, as indicated.

f As each rotor section is turned by the force 1 of an explodedV charge operating upon a piston' projection 16' thereof, a following piston projection forces backward the plunger abutment 20V o f the cylinder for repetition of the charging and exploding action; and the spent gases of combustion are discharged through `an'inner wall exhaust aperture- 51 into an annular exhaust chamber 52 of the enclosing cylinder.VV To quickly and effectively carry oif these gases and properly cool the cylinder I provide upon the shaft 10, at each end of lthe cooperating motor units, a fan 53, re-

spectively operative as force andsuction fans toeffectthese purposes; said fans being made part of the lmain drive gear 45, as shown, by merely providing the latter with fan-vane spokes 53; and a like cooling Vaction for thej rotors particularly, is provided by forming thel same hollow for free passage of the cooling air, and by providing the same with similar fan-spokes 54.

For reversing the rotation of the engine,

j it is necessary to fixedly retract one or other of each of the two pairs of abutment plungersV 21 provided for in Fig. 2, and for this purpose I indicate cooperatively arranged levers 60, 60, each engaging an abutment plunger stud 61, extending through a spring 24 and an aperture 62 in the fixed'spring-seatbars 63, so es toretain oneof'each pair of sliding ,abutments in'retractedposition while leaving the other free to bel retracted by the passlevers 40h.

ing Wheel projections 16 against the projecting action of its spring 24.

To provide for eectively preventing leakage at each piston projection 1G, I form these with packing recesses 70, 70, severally arranged in communication through passage-ways 71, 71, and provide in each such recess a removably fitted packing strip 72 adapted to be tightly seated against the enclosing cylinder Wall by pressure of the gases of combustion conveyed through said passage-Ways 71; any wear upon said packing strips being thus automatically taken up so as to insure uniform contact, and the strips being readily renewable when needed.

The economy of construction, operation and maintenance provided for by my improved construction as described, may be secured in large degree with modifications of the preferred embodiment specifically set forth; as is indicated by the particular modifications illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the construction is simplified by eliminating the provision for reversing the rotation of the engine, and the duplication of parts for most effectively developing power, and in which a retracting form of wheel abutment 1Ga is shown, and an indirect driving of the compression plungers 31;L from a separate cam shaft 40a operative through pivoted The terms of the claims are intended to include such modifications as are within the spirit of the invention set forth.

What I claim is:

1. In a rotary engine comprising a single shaft provided with a series of cooperating rotors, and an enclosing cylinder having corresponding series of annular chambers; compressor plunger chambers each having separate inlet and delivery ports the latter extending to one of said annular chambers; a longitudinally mounted rotary tubular valve in said cylinder for each series of ports; an abutment guide-way communicating with each of said annular chambers: a springpressed sliding abutment in each of said guide-ways having an interiorly mounted spark-igniter and a spark-way therefrom communicating with the corresponding annular chamber adjacent the feed port thereto; and means for successively actuating the cooperating parts.

2. In a rotary engine comprising a single shaft provided with a series oi' cooperating concentric rotors, and enclosing cylinder having corresponding series of annular chambers; a compressor plunger chamber for each of said annular chambers having a valve controlled inlet port thereto and a branched delivery port therefrom adapted to communicate with the adjacent annular chamber on opposite sides of a rotor piston when said piston is positioned midway said delivery port; a control valve for the branched port of each compressor chamber Ii u El u

DANIEL M. RGTHENBERGER. 

